24 years and 24 lessons

So I just read an awesome blog post and was inspired to copy it. I know my birthday was a month ago but who cares? So before I get started I do have to say that I couldn't have learned these lessons without all of the wonderful people in my life and the not so wonderful so thank you for your pact!!! 1. Laughter is contagious so share the wealth. 2. Everyone has a story. Are you stopping to listen to it? 3. The question is not "is the goal attainable?" but rather "how hard must I work to obtain my goal?" 4. True friendship survives regardless of the miles in between. 5. Happiness is journey not a destination. Keep pursuing! 6. Dance parties are more fun in the company of others. 7. True peace is found within yourself and Shared with others through your actions. 8. Recycling is legit so just do it. 9. Time is precious so live fully in each moment. 10. Passion without pursuit is just a hobby. 11. The higher the mountain the more glorious the decent! 12. It's ok to let loose, you might even enjoy it! 13. Honesty is never overrated even if the truth hurts. 14. The world was meant to be discovered from the seat of a bike. 15. Euthanasia is a reality, not a sob story, and we must do everything in our power to eliminate its unnecessary evil. 16. Always root for the underdog 17. Racism is just ignorance rearing it's ugly head. We should define things by who they are not what we think they are based on genetics. 18. Love is always beautiful. 19. Family is not simply defined by shared genetics. Your family is made up of those people who love, accept, and support you no matter what. The people that know your heart. 20. Cats make everything better. 21. The outdoors is therapeutic. 22. True service is compelled by love not obligatin. 23. Compassion is one of the greatest gifts you can give others. 24. Music heals the soul in a way nothing else can. Well there you have it! Life as I see it. Peace & Love Summer

Matters of the heart: love and service

Recently I have started to receive several compliments about my work ethic again. For those of you that know me you know how awkward I am when I recover them and you also know how much a I enjoy them. Anyways it has gotten me thinking about my life. To me there is absolutely no need to thank me for doing the right thing or doing my job to the best of my ability. Those things are ingrained in me. There are three overarching themes that I try to live my life by. The first is love. Love guides everything that I do be it work, volunteering, or just hanging out. For me love is the only logical choice. The second is compassion. In my experience love combined with compassion for others goes so much father than hatred and judgement. So I do my best to be kind and compassionate towards others. I think when you come from a loving and compassionate place it is only natural that you also approach things with a peaceful mind set. It is my goal to keep peace with others and continue to seek inner peace for myself. Once you understand that these three things govern my life you can begin to understand why I am like I am and why I do what I do. I love animals and people alike but my connection to animals is far more intense. I fall in love daily and I love deeply. My heart breaks for the injustices that theses creatures have to face and the cruelty that uS humans dish out so easily. So I choose to love them with everything I have and to work as hard as humanly possible to aid in there recovery. I work to build trust and heal old wounds with kindness and. O compassion. And I work as hard as I am able to because I don't know how to work any differently. Helping animals is what I wake up wanting to do everyday. It is something I never get tired of. It is what I was made to do. Many think that statement is extreme and maybe it is but I have never been more certain of anything else in my entire life. But aside from helping animals I also think its my duty to help people. Too often we let pride rule our lives making us to embrassed to ask for help. I have watched many friends struggle through it and excepting help isn't easy for me either but I have co E to realize that we are meant to live life together. The good the bad the ugly. So when I see a need I try to meet it. Sometimes that's talking to a friends for hours, sometimes it's moving furniture, sometimes it's holding back someone's hair as they vomit. Whatever it is I am always happy to help. I think far to often people are not both willing and able when it comes to helping. The concepts of being both willing and able combined with my passion for service and heartbreaking reality of the world we live in are what drove me to ride my bike across the country for affordable housing. My heart breaks for those struggling to keep a roof over their heads. The faces of those without homes living on the streets of Detroit are not just faces to me. They each have a name a story. So for me not helping is not an option. Helping is all that I know. It's who I am and it what I want to do with or with out the thank yous. Sharing your deepest passions is suh a difficult task and often times the words are not enough. I hope that I have done an adequate enough job sharing my heart, my passions, and my duty with you all. I hope in some small way it might encourage you to share yours with others or perhaps even pursue them. I help because I was made to. I work hard because its the only way I l ow how to work. And I love because I am one of those crazy people that truly believe love and compassion can heal the world one person or animal at a time. Peace & Love Summer